Workshop Wall Advice

[DigitalM]

My workshop is a 7m x 4m timber framed building. It's recently been upgraded with new exterior horizontal cladding, offset with an air gap of 20mm to vapor barrier. The frame is insulated within the stud word by 50mm celotex.

I'm now at the point of deciding what to use to clad the interior. As it's a relatively old timber framed building, I wondered if it might be an idea to opt for a thicker plywood - theory being that it would strengthen the workshop itself, more than say, a thin chipboard or MDF.

Then again, maybe that's just a massive waste of money.

I'd be interested to see what sort of choices or advice others have on the subject.

 

[inkyblue]

I've used OSB on the interior of mine. Cheaper than plywood and will add to the strength structurally.

 

[RobinBHM]

18mm OSB board is the cheapest option, its strong and takes a screw well. Not too pretty but ok if painted white.

18mm plywood is dearer but still a good option -as long as the workshop is nice and dry -I made plywood shelving in my garage which has gone mouldy, but it a damp single brick skin jobbie with a metal up n over door.

 

[DigitalM]

18mm MDF seems to be cheaper than OSB. I'm guessing that MDF is the least moisture resistant of MDF, OSB and exterior ply?

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Hi - I'd use 12mm OSB3 (18mm is very heavy and probably overkill). I think that the only kind of MDF I'd possibly consider using is MR MDF, but really, OSB3 is the best choice IMHO. Cheers, W2S

 

[inkyblue]

Like Woody says, 12mm OSB is perfect. Mines clad with 12mm, and I paid about 12 quid per sheet for Moisture resisistant. It's painted green on one side, thats the side you want to face externally. 12mm OSB takes a screw really well for when you're hanging cabinets etc.

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

If I had a budget to stick to I would first go to ebay/gumtree and look for plywood offcuts , I had a similar need once where I needed a lot of ply and I picked it up for maybe 15% of what it would cost in shops , of course it was cut in sizes, but they were fairly large in my case so they were just the job!

 

[Ttrees]

Beetle attack is something to consider if your place is in a damp spot.
I've heard that they like ply
No evidence to back this up though ...

 

[DoctorWibble]

+1 for 12mm osb. More than strong enough but cheaper and easier to manage than 18mm.
Beyond that it might be worth your while facing the osb with plasterboard for noise reduction and thermal mass. My own workshop is lined with two layers of 12mm sound rated plasterboard (a denser grade). In a small workshop (16' x 12') this inch of thermal mass makes a huge difference to temperature stability - cool in the summer and once heated in winter it will retain warmth for up to two days after the heating is switched off. Besides making things quiet and comfortable the relatively stable temperatures are key to a dry (condensation free) workshop, alongside your breather membrane.
Cheers
Ken

 

[Matt@]

moisture resistant (green) 18mm flooring chipboard in mine, I think I worked out that was the cheapest 18mm covering i could buy...

 

[Bedrock]

Close to finishing the conversion of a block garage to a w/shop, after a downsize move.
In my old timber framed w/shop, I did use OSB, but I really hate the look of the stuff - as if it should matter! I screwed all sorts of cupboards and tool racks to it, without any problems, so it should serve your purpose.
In the new space, I have used 100mm Celotex, faced with 12mm ply, in preference to MDF, as I never like to trust a screw fixing, for say a rack for old style long cramps, into MDF. Part of the domestic negotiation allowed me a little extra to spend on this and the next phase of replacement machinery.(!)
See if you have a local timber recycling centre. The one in Southampton seems to have second hand ply shuttering on a regular basis. It will need a bit of careful selection, and a bit of cleaning up but should be tough enough for your purpose.

 

[DigitalM]

Thank you for all the excellent suggestions.

I bought 17 sheets of 11mm OSB3, which I managed to get for £11.30/sheet inc. VAT and delivered next day for £15 – so around £210 total. It really pays to shop around.

Can't say I really like the look of it, but it will encourage me to build storage to cover it up!

 

[skipdiver]

I used 11mm osb too. Painted it white and it's a good, cheap and functional option.